Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
Yeah, the whole two-tier system, with potential profit-participation for the actors, but only in certain cases and for certain tours ..... I'll leave that to you to expain Zola, or anyone else who feels up to it -- the whole thing gives me a headache just thinking about it...
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
Regarding pension and health payments:
The producer makes pension contributions eaqual to 8% of the actor's salaries. A clever producer will list part of the actor's pay as "travel expenses", or whatever, to avaoid paying as much to the union.
Health payments are the same for every actor, regadless of how much their salary is.
The above are paid by the producer. The actor also has 2% of their weekly salary deducted for union dues. 26 bucks aint bad it you are a chorus member. 500 bucks a week hurts a bit it you're Idina.
Updated On: 8/9/04 at 07:27 PM
We also have to remember that these salaries are for people who are on Broadway. Goodness knows there are thousands of actors who are trying to get there. Plus, musical theatre actors then have to pay for periodic voice lessons, dance lessons, etc. With all those expenses and an unstable job, I don't think the pay looks all that great.
500 bucks a week hurts a bit it you're Idina.
Only a bit, when you consider that she makes more a month than the vast majority of people do a year.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/4/04
I'm curious- if a foreign performer comes to Broadway with Equity's permission, does he or she have to pay union dues as well? How would his or her benefits work? Are foreign performers pretty much treated like Equity members, or is there some other deal for them?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/7/04
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
On the other hand, there are the cases of actors working on probably more lucrative branches of the entertainment industry who come to Broadway because of the lure of live theatre ( Sean Combs, Ashley Judd, Hugh Jackman, Joey Fatone, etc.) - I wonder how much they forego of their actual earning power when they tread the boards for a long period. I am not referring to those whose careers are certainly on the wane and who come to Broadway for real employment or to revive the careers they have been associated with.
Stand-by Joined: 7/6/04
Stand-by Joined: 10/22/03
Stand-by Joined: 3/25/04
Just read Making It On Broadway and you'll realize that all the money in the world can still amount to nothing in the long run. Equity minimum amounts to something around $70,000 a year...that still pans out to to something meager if you don't get work after you've left a show. It's a hard, hard life...but the book only serves to enhance that I suppose. Updated On: 8/10/04 at 09:33 AM
Personally, Possums, I don't believe it's anyone's business what another person makes at his or her job - no matter what kind of position it is.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/4/04
Stand-by Joined: 3/25/04
NYU, I'm basically saying that you can have a nice job in a Broadway show for a year, making approximately $70,000 @ Equity minimum. Factor in living expenses, rent, voice lessons, dance, etc and that number drops. Then let's figure that your show closes and you're out of a job...you could very well never get hired again and that $70,000 goes down the drain. These are obviously grim circumstances but my point was that Making It On Broadway paints this as the reality of the situation. You can be making a good amount of money but once your out of a job, you could be out of a job on Broadway forever - there's no guarantees in this business.
I agree - it's no one's business what someone else makes. I remember the flap over Lane and Broderick coming back to the Producers and how much they were making or not making. Lane said in the Times Talks interview in January that he took this as a contribution to more risky projects he really wanted to do like the Frogs and Butley...but even if he was going to do nothing with the money but sit home and eat bon bons...it's his business...I don't like people I work with asking what I make and it's none of their business. If the company feels I'm worth the money and I'm MAKING them money in return that's between me and them.
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